Air intake for ships



Jan. 4, 1927. 1,612,813

C. G. 'HAWLEY AIR INTAKE FOR SHIPS Filed May 4 1925 gwmzntoz marks 61/0101 2? Patented Jan. 4, 1927.

UNITE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES GILBERT HAVLEY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO CENTRIFIX COR- PORATION, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO,- A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

AIR INTAKE non snrrs.

Application filed May 4,

Surface operation of submarine ships is attended with much difficulty and no little danger due to the fact that quantities of water are taken inboard through the air pipes that supply their internal combustion engines. The intake pipe of a submarine rises within the so-called fair-water or deck house thereof and its top at best isnot far above the surface. lVater washes the decks and entering the openings of the fairwater is caught. up by the indrawing currents of air and carried down into the engine. The

same thing, though to a lesser extent, happens in the various intakes that supply air to other parts of the ship.

The problem is to intercept the moisture and throw it back on to the deck at the base of the air intake pipe or outboard. Such is the object of this invention. A further object is to so suppress the threshing of the water in the fairwater as to materially lessen the noise of the intake.

Vith these objects in View I provide the top of the intake pipe or pipes with a hood through which the air must pass to reach the intake pipe. And in the bottom of the hood I arrange one or several centrifugal separator units through which the air must pass to reach the interior of the hood; and said units are constructed and arranged to intercept and throw down the water and prevent its entrance to the hood. 'Thus, only air that is virtually dry is allowed to reach the intake pipe.

All this. and also various novel constructions incident thereto, will be readily understood on reference to the accompanying drawing; in which Fig. 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of the top deck and fairwater of the submarine vessel, showing the main air intake constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on the line 2--2 in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical section of one of the centrifugal separator units; Fig. 4 is a top view thereof; Fig. 5 is a horizontal section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3; Fig. 6 illustrates a modified form and arrangement of the centrifugal unit: and Fig. 7 is a horizontal section on the line 7-7 of Fig. 6.

The part 2 represents the top deck or skin of a submarine vessel and may be taken as representing the deck of any ship likely to be awash at the base of an air intake pipe. Not all of the fairwater is shown, the same 1925. Serial No. 27,854.

beingtoo long to appear in the drawing. However, the parts illustrated will readily identify the structure. Thus, the part 3 represents the top deck of the fair-water. it and 5 are transverse bulkheads and 66 are the sides of the fairwater. The hatch with its cover appears in the neXt compartment of the fairwater.

Rising within the compartment defined by the walls 3, l, 5 and 6, is the large air intake pipe 7 having the usual valve 8 at the top. It will be understood that the latter is closed when the vessel is submerged and it is always open when the vessel rises to or is operating on the surface. By means of a horizontal floor or partition 9, I convert the upper part 10 of the above mentioned space into a hood for the top of the intake pipe. The small openings 11 are merely vent openings which assist in emptying the hood of air when the vessel is submerged and likewise assist in emptying the water when the vessel rises to the surface. They are of such size as to be negligible for air admission purposes.

Substantially all of the air for the intake 7 enters the fairwater through a number of large openings 12 near the base of the intake pipe and well below the intermediate floor 9. The air reaches the top of the intake pipe through a plurality of openings in the floor 9. The character of these openings will now be described.

Each said opening comprises a centrifugal separator or air dryer a. Each thereof hangs in or registers with a large hole in the floor 9. Preferably the top of each separator it comprises a Wide ring a which rests on the floor 90r is bolted to the bottom thereof. This ring contains an air intake opening M. The part directly beneath the ring, and suspended therefrom is a multiple tangential tuyere ring having an internal diameter which is considerably greater than that of the opening (1 Thus at the top an annular abutment a is formed. (See Fig.

As best shown in Fig; 5, the tuyere ring comprises a circumferential series of operativcly overlapping tangential tuyere blades a which form the many tangential tuyeres at. These tuyeres are narrow and very long and their aggregate area much exceeds the area of the opening a The bottom of the tuyere ring is closed by a plate or disk a, preferably having a raised central part a It Will be obvious that it the space surrounding the intake 7 were of greater size a single centrifugal separator unit might well serve as the avenue for all of the air required. Instead, it is necessary to employ a plurality of separators or units as otherwise the required aggregate area of intake openings (62 could not be found Within the limited confines ot the floor 9. Hence the six units illustrated in the drawing. More or less may be required according to the size oi the intake 7 and the air rate at which it is used.

The engine which takes the air from the intake 7 operates at such speed that theflow of air extremely rapid and almost. constant. lVlov-ing upward in the lower part of the tairwater the air meets the centrifugal units and t liereliy divided into a great nuinher of thin vertical films or streams which enter theiespect-ive units tangentially. The first action is to impact or precipitate the moisture globules on the inner surfaces of the tangential blades. The second is the organization of an extremely rapid whirling action of the air Within each unit, and a very complete centrifugal separation of the moisture is accomplished. The overhangingabutment ct prevents the escape of the collected moisture upwardly. Instead, it is delivered at the bottom of the unit and due both to the action of gravity and centrifugal force it is expelled therefrom and flows back on to the deck at the base of the intake. Thus, only substantially dry air is permitted to enter the hood 10 and the intake 7.

Where the nicest degree of water exclusion is required or desired. the tops of the centrifugal units may be provided with the moisture collecting races Z). Each race coinprises a grooved ring placed on top of the unit and coaxial therewith. lVhere these races are used the overhanging abutment (1/ n'i-ay be omitted if desired, although I recommend that they be used lest the raves he overburdened With water. in this case the races are only intended to catch sue-h fine particles of water as may chance to whirl through the top of the unit. The inois ire collected in each race is ejected through a discharge nozzle Z). A down-pipe b extending' from the nozzle a and preferably equipped with a check valve Z) serves to receive the Water and throw the same hack on to'the deck. Obviously, the eject pile Z) may lead outboard.

The invention may be variously applied to the air intake pipes of ships generally. Furtherii'iore, the structure here-in illustrated is capable of modification without departing from thespirit of the invention.

' Having thus described my invention I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent l. A ships air intake pipe, in combination With an intake hood at the end of said pipe, and a centrifugal separator depending from said hood and forming the avenue through which the air enters the latter and the intake pipe.

2. A sh'ips air intake pipe, in combination with an intake hood at the end of said pipe, and a plurality of centrifugal separators depending from said hood and forming the avenue through which the air enters the latter and the intake pipe.

3. A ships fairwater and the air intake pipe rising therein, in combination with a floor which makes the upper part of the fairwaterinto a hood for the end of said pipe, and a plurality of centrifugal separatorsdepending from said floor and forming the avenue through Which the air must enter the hood and the intake pipe.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this th day of April A. D. 1925.

CHARLES GILBERT llAlVLlCY. 

